More Details of the 1968 Expansion Draft (Part 2)

 

Last time we looked at the Cleveland Indians, the only team whose complete protection list was revealed. This time we will take a look at the remaining teams. 

 

Each team lost 6 players. They won’t be named here, because they can be found elsewhere. 

 

By looking at each team’s 1968 roster in baseball-reference.com, it should be easy to guess who might have been protected. In this blog entry, I’m only going to mention players who were specifically named in the Sporting News on 11/2/1968. 

 

Of the remaining 19 teams, the news columns for only 11 of the teams named any players (other than those lost to expansion). 

 

Astros 

One of these pitchers was initially protected, and the other three were pulled back after the first round: Jim Ray, Tom Griffin, Wayne Twitchell, Bob Watkins. 

The column also said manager Harry Walker was thinking about moving Joe Morgan to center field!

 

Cardinals 

Pitchers Jerry Reuss and Ray Washburn were initially protected. 

Pitchers Joe Hoerner and Mike Torrez, and infielder Steve Huntz were pulled back after the first round.

 

Phillies 

Infielder Terry Harmon was protected. It was implied that shortstop Don Money was protected. 

Pitcher Woodie Fryman and shortstop Larry Bowa were pulled back after the first round. 

 

In my Phillies analysis, I was sure that Fryman and Bowa would have been protected. I'm also very surprised that Harmon was protected, given that he was never more than a utility player in the majors, plus the Phillies also had shortstop prospects Money and Bowa. 

 

When writing up that Phillies tome, I remember thinking that Joe Lis must have been protected because of all his minor-league home runs, but I couldn't see who would have been bumped for him.  Now with the knowledge that Fryman and Bowa were unprotected, Lis must surely have been among the 15 protected players.

 

Pirates 

Pitcher Jim Bunning and infielder Jose Pagan were left unprotected (and undrafted) in all rounds. 

 

Reds 

Pitcher Wayne Granger and shortstop Darrell Chaney were protected. Pitchers Gerry Arrigo and George Culver were initially unprotected. 

 

Angels 

Pitcher George Brunet was unprotected, but pulled back after the first round. 

 

Athletics 

Pitcher Vida Blue and outfielder George Hendrick were protected as first-year players. 

 

Red Sox 

Outfielder Tony Conigliaro was left unprotected and undrafted for the entire draft. 

 

Senators 

These players were all unprotected and undrafted during the entire draft: 

Pitchers Dave Baldwin, Bruce Howard, Bob Humphreys, and Phil Ortega, and outfielders Hank Allen, Cap Peterson, and Ed Stroud. 

 

Tigers 

Pitcher Les Cain was initially protected. 

Pitchers Joe Sparma, Pat Dobson, and John Hiller were initially unprotected (but no mention of if or when they were pulled back). 

 

Yankees 

Pitcher Lindy McDaniel and catcher Frank Fernandez were pulled back after the first round. 

 

 

Orioles 

Although not mentioned in this issue, I read somewhere else that the Orioles left sore-armed Jim Palmer unprotected. (He missed most of 1967 and all of 1968.)